Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by News Desk
Written by: Srijan Raj
The Calcutta High Court has criticised the West Bengal Government’s outdated compensation scheme for acid attack victims, citing its forgetfulness of its progressive feminist roots. The court invoked Gopal Krishna Gokhale’s saying, “What Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow,” which was relevant in the early 1900s.
The court urged the state government to remember Bengal’s feminist history and ensure that Gokhale’s saying is relevant again. The state, once known for its progressive feminist discourse, has lagged in areas of progress and governance.
A judge in India has ordered the West Bengal government to comply with the Supreme Court’s order to amend its own compensation scheme in line with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) Compensation Scheme for Women Victims/Survivors of Sexual Assault and Other Crimes, 2018. The scheme mandates a minimum compensation of ₹7 lakh and a maximum of ₹8 lakh for acid attack victims, with an additional compensation of 50% of the minimum amount for minors.
The court found that the West Bengal government had not complied with the Supreme Court’s mandate and ordered the state to frame a scheme in line with NALSA’s compensation scheme within eight weeks.
Case Title: Paramita Bera v. Union of India
